Abernant park to double in size

By Lydia Seabol AvantStaff Writer | The Tuscaloosa News

Friday

Oct 18, 2013 at 12:01 AM

A new park in Abernant will soon be doubling in size.

A new park in Abernant will soon be doubling in size.About two years ago, largely through community efforts, roughly an acre of land on Murray Street in Abernant was donated to be used as a park.Recently, that land was given to the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority for management, and on Wednesday the Tuscaloosa County Commission voted unanimously to nearly double the park’s size by purchasing an adjacent 3/4-acre lot for $10,000.It will be funded through district discretionary funds set aside in the 2013 budget.“The additional land will allow us to build a full-size basketball court on the site,” said County Commissioner Jerry Tingle, who represents the eastern part of the county.Currently, there are some swings at the park. In early November, a larger $40,000 playground will be installed, Tingle said. Other plans include a picnic shelter and barbecue grills, he said.“It’s really the first park in the whole area up here,” Tingle said. “It’s really needed. This area has been overlooked for years and years.”Abernant has a ball park with one field that Tingle said he played on decades ago as a child. But, he said it’s underfunded and the new playground will be the first PARA park of its kind in the Abernant area.Tannehill State Park is located in the area.Before the basketball court can be completed, a house on the added acreage will have to be torn down and the lot graded, Tingle said. The park improvements should be completed and ready by summer 2014.